Steve, I've always thought Inlis sounded like a great idea. Are there
any development tasks that you could delegate, such as vocabulary
creation, that would not likely collide with your design decisions?

On 4/5/12, Stephen Rice <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> On 4/4/12, Jacob Davis <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> So far constructed auxlangs haven't really reached wide usage.  Another
>> possibility for an auxlang would be a living, natural language.  Though it
>> would give some people an advantage, it would be worth it the speaking
>> population reached 5 billion within 30 years.  I don't know if this can
>> happen with a natural language or not, but I propose the use of Tok Pisin
>> as an auxlang.
>
> Counter-proposal: Everyone should learn English. It's already widely
> spoken, and if you learn it as a child, the phonology and grammar are
> no big deal. It could easily make the 5 billion mark in thirty years.
>
> Problem solved!
>
> Next, I propose eradicating world hunger by telling everyone to quit
> starving.
>
>  I also propose that *all* efforts currently being invested
>> in constructing auxlangs be reallocated to promoting the use of Tok Pisin
>> or whatever other language is selected.
>
> That would make little difference. To begin with, there are relatively
> few auxlangers, and we're generally individualistic, so leading us is
> like herding cats.
>
> Also, most people in the world would rather keep the status quo. They
> certainly won't bother to learn a language that, for all of its
> apparent creole simplicity, is still a delightfully random natlang
> that you can only learn to fluency with considerable time and effort.
>
>> I don't speak Tok Pisin.  However, it's phonology isn't too bad for the
>> purposes of an auxlang.  I'm not an expert on the language.
>
> Then become one. Learn it to fluency and try to figure out how many
> people could be convinced to do likewise.
>
> Now, I'm not opposed to English-based creoles; my primary project is
> Inlis, an artificial creoloid designed to be intelligible to anyone
> who knows much English. Most people who seed an auxlang and who could
> be reached by learning material already know some English--often quite
> a lot--but they know they don't have native fluency. Inlis levels the
> playing field by making everyone a non-native--a foreigner--even if
> English is their native language. So it leverages a very common
> knowledge without giving anyone a real advantage. Will it work? It's
> too soon to tell. (I'm usually too busy helping with other projects to
> get much done on it.)
>
> Steve
>


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